L's Resurrection
by Author of Scifi
Summary: What would happen if Rem decided to not save Misa and L lived besides, of course, rejoicing of Death Note fans? This is my speculation on that topic. I'd love some reviews, positive or not.
1. Foreword

Foreword

When L died in episode 25 of the Death Note series, many, many people were crushed. What would have happened though if Rem had decided to keep her life and keep L alive?

The purpose of this novel is to present my speculation as to what would happen. I might not stay completely true to the established canon, however, to keep the story going, so don't get miffed if I don't stay true. However, I will make every effort to follow the established canon (besides, of course, the storyline).


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"If someone writes a name in the notebook, they'll have to keep writing names forever!"

"It's already been worked out. The person who will write in the notebook is a criminal scheduled to be executed in just over thirteen days. If he's still alive thirteen days after writing the name he'll be pardoned from execution." L leaned back and sighed as he heard Matsuba gasp. L's shaggy black hair hung in his face. He pushed a strand aside and wondered how things that were relatively obvious to him were so difficult for others to see.

"But Ryuzaki, to sacrifice a life...." the Chief, Light's father, spoke up. _Just as I suspected, _L thought.

"We're _very_ close. If we work this out, the entire case will be solved."

Rem shirked backwards. If the entire case would be solved.... that would mean Misa would be found out and executed!

_I can _not _allow Misa to come to harm. But...._

Rem put away the Death Note. She couldn't bring herself to kill L. The truth was, she had come to care for humans in a way that didn't just extend to Misa; she found that she had a certain respect for all human life because of Misa. She also had to admit that she was really starting to admire and respect L too. Out of all of the humans who now knew of Shinigami, he was the one who was the least disturbed. Then she realized that the human that she least liked was Light. _Am I willing to forfeit the life of one who I respect and my own life to cause my enemy to be happy if it will cause Misa happiness? Is there no other way out of this? _

She turned toward Light and narrowed her eyes. Light hadn't turned completely toward her, but he was keeping an eye on her while keeping the other eye on L.

_Come on Rem, what will you do? Sacrifice Misa? Or kill L and yourself to save her? _Light couldn't believe that Rem wouldn't do anything to save Misa, but you never know. It was then that he realized he had no plan for what to do if Misa was found out. She waited until L's attention completely shifted from her before she floated silently out of the room.

_If L figures out that rule is fake, then he'll wonder who altered it. Then he'll see who benefits the most from the rule. Even if I am not immediately incriminated, there is about an 80% chance that Misa will be. If Misa is found with the Death Note, then it's obvious that she's really Kira, although it will be tricky for L to figure out if she's Kira or Second Kira. That doesn't matter though. The connection between us is clear. L will easily be able to deduce that I am either Kira or the Second Kira. However, he will probably decide I am the first Kira due to the fact that I have similar morals to the first Kira and that I have access to the information that the first Kira had access to. An amateur could figure out my connection. And I can't just dispose of the Death Note! More people than myself know of the Death Note and then there's that rule I got Ryuk to make up: that if you dispose of the Death Note all those who had touched it would die._ _I'd reveal that I am conscious of my actions. Could I convince L that my actions are being directed by a different Kira...?_

He realized that L was staring closely at him. "Light? What's the matter? You look nervous." L took a sip from his heavily sugared tea. He set the cup down and rested his chin on his ever bent knees.

"I'm fine, Ryuzaki. Thanks for the concern." Light took a breath. He thought of a valid reason to look at Rem. Finding one, he turned to Rem. She was gone.

The movement caused L to look with him. "Light? What is it?" L stood up and followed Light's gaze. _He's looking for Rem. Why?_

_Well, if he really is Kira, he couldn't exactly just write my name in that notebook and kill me. If I was Kira, I might have tried to find a way to get Rem to kill L. But how...? _

L shook his head, causing his shaggy black hair to move slightly. _I can't use that reasoning, I don't have all the knowledge the real Kira has. _L reached toward his tea cup, then retracted his hand. Tea could wait. However, he would only have one chance to observe Light's reaction to the absence of Rem.

_If he isn't really Kira, I suppose he would want to know Rem's opinion. I mean, it's a Shinigami. Who wouldn't want to look at that thing...?_

Light did his best not to seem visibly shocked. _Rem is willing to sacrifice Misa?! Why? What benefit does she get from this....?! Why did she leave? Why isn't L dead yet?_

"Hm. Wonder where Rem went," L threw the statement out casually. He was really fishing for information, and he was sure that Light would pick up on that. However, any sort of reaction was better than the blank stare that Light had plastered on his face. In itself it was precedented, but if one knew as much about psychology as L did, he would be able to understand that blank looks were often a guilty party's way to attempt to look ignorant. _Perhaps Light isn't innocent... the chances that he's Kira decreased significantly since the last 'Kira' died, but... _

"How would I know where Rem went?" asked Light calmly. Although the statement was relatively placid, L sensed the subtle vehemence behind the statement. _Now, if I was Kira and my plan to kill L failed because Rem failed on her part, whatever that part is, I would be angry. Of course, I wouldn't show it, but still... oh Light, you are subtle. _

"I suppose you wouldn't." L rubbed his eyes. Despite what the others thought, he was merely human and he desperately needed sleep right now. "The only logical thing we can do now is wait for the criminal to arrive tomorrow morning. I suggest you all go to your suites and get some rest. I will stay up and review some of the more recent updates."

"Don't you ever sleep, L?" asked Matsuba.

L sighed. _Can't Matsuba just...._ "Remember Matsuba, Ryuzaki."

"Of course, Ryuzaki! Don't you ever sleep?"

"Is it physically possible for a sentient being of flesh and blood to live without partaking in some type of unconscious relaxation, also known as sleep? Oh, and comas do not count, they are induced through means that are not generally beneficial to the human body."

"What?" asked Matsuba blankly.

"There's your answer Matsuba, now please. Sleep. Along with the rest of you."

"Can I stay up with you, Ryuzaki? I don't think I can sleep after all the recent developments," asked Light innocently. _If he doesn't let me stay up with him, he definitely suspects me more than he used to. I'll have to be extremely careful how I handle this. However, I do have thirteen days to figure something out. If I really can't think of a better plan, I could just hide and execute my righteous judgment in hiding. They'll know I'm Kira if I have to do that anyway so it won't matter how incriminating such an act would be. Only in worst case scenario, of course._

_He's trying to deduce if I suspect him or not. An interesting tactic, but it won't work, Light. Why doesn't he just ask outright, I wonder? Before he didn't really have too much problem with just asking outright. Perhaps he doesn't want me to know that he suspects me of suspecting him. If that were the case, what benefit would he gain from me being ignorant of the fact that he is aware I am suspicious of him? _These calculations, that would have dazzled any other normal person, were part of L's normal thought processes. _Well, he could probably afford to be more lenient with... something. But what? Is he _really _Kira? Did the powers come back to him after he picked up the Death Note?_

"If you wish, Light. I would suggest you sleep, but I could use the help." After a second of thought and tea-sipping, L sat back down in his usual stance (knees pulled up to his chest, his feet resting on where he was sitting) and muttered, "And the company."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"There is almost no chance that there is another Kira in Yotsuba. Now that several of their executives are no longer alive, it is feasible that their profits would go down due to disorganization. The profits have. Now, there is the slightest chance, about 0.2%, that there is another Kira and he is just waiting to begin killing again. Now, if that is the case, which I highly doubt, as I'm 99.98 percent sure that there is no other Yotsuba Kira, that would mean that there are at least three notebooks, and if there are three, there are possibly more. That would be... bad, to put it plainly. But with the odds, less than 1 out of a 100, I doubt that. But we must plan for every possibility."

"Right," yawned Light. He was so tired... didn't L ever sleep?! "Aren't you getting tired, Ryuzaki?"

L chuckled. It was a mirthless chuckle, but it was a chuckle nonetheless. "I'm far past _getting_ tired, Light. I've been there for quite some time."

"So you really are human?" joked Light, trying to keep the mood as light (at least as light as possible where L was concerned. L is always a little... dark) as possible.

"Despite popular opinion, yes," he said seriously. A shadow of a smile flitted across his face, but it was gone so fast Light thought he was imagining things.

"So, Light. What does it feel like, to kill?"

Light gave an overly exasperated sigh. L raised an eyebrow but remained otherwise still. "I don't know. Look, I don't even like to go hunting! I don't even like to kill insects unnecessarily!"

"Well, Kira doesn't want to cleanse the insect world does he?"

Light sighed. "Ryuzaki, you are impossible, you know that?"

"Impossible in what way?" asked L. He was actually enjoying this little banter.

"Just.... impossible!"

_Why are you so riled up? Is it because you're Kira and you're annoyed that you're still under suspicion? No, Light would be too smart to get miffed because of that. Even if he wasn't guilty he'd be annoyed. Then there's a much more pleasant possibility: he enjoys these banters about as much as I do and this is all in act for the sake of entertainment. The chances of that are about.... well, take the hundred, divide that by three, and then drop the non-terminating decimal and factor in the fact that people are generally uneasy around me, Whether I'm L or not.... 20% chance? _L looked at the ceiling. _How I hope that is the case._

"Thank you."

"Thank you? I say you're impossible and you say thank you?!"

_He's definitely just having fun with me. At least, I estimate there's a 77% chance now. Light wouldn't act like this unless he's bored. Huh. That's encouraging. Maybe I've found a friend.... friends with a suspect. L, L, L, getting soft are you?_ L shook his head slightly at his own thoughts. "Yes. It wouldn't do for me to be possible, would it?"

A smile broke on Light's face... his oh-so-innocent face. "No, it wouldn't do at all, Ryuzaki." L sipped his tea placidly and said 'hmmm' as Watiri approached with a cart filled with different varieties of mini cheesecakes. He grabbed one with strawberry swirl on the top, ate it, stuck his thumb underneath his bottom lip and said, "You still haven't answered my question though. You did say you don't like to kill game and insects, but considering that Kira isn't interested insects and game animals, I consider those facts irrelevant. So, what does it feel like to kill?" L turned slowly toward Light. "To kill a human?"

Light gave an affable laugh. _That wasn't genuine. Probably._ L didn't say probably as lightly as some people did. _So far he's just been being himself, overreacting just to have a little fun with me. Now he's being affable about it... strange._ "To kill a human? I wouldn't really know. Depends on your mindset I guess." Light glanced at the cart, though_ ah, what could it hurt?_, and popped one into his mouth as L, Ryuzaki, whatever he was, started to eat his second piece. L grinned subtly as he watched Light try to sneak a cheesecake. He swallowed the cheesecake in his mouth and said, "Don't be shy, Light, there's plenty." He stuck his thumb back into its cradle under his lip. "Depends on your mindset.... still, if you have a mindset that finds killing humans detestable, it's unlikely you would actually go as far as to kill a human unless its an act of self preservation."

Light narrowed his eyes. _What is L doing? These questions have no purpose! Arrgh. _

L sighed, grabbed a chocolate cheesecake bite, and popped it in his mouth. He winced at an unexpected texture. _Who puts chocolate cookies in chocolate cheesecake..._ L found himself wondering what he was driving at with his questions. _Great, now I don't even know what I'm thinking. Well,_ L took a sip of his sugary tea, _I suppose this is just a way to gauge Light's reactions to my questions. Mmmh, these observations could prove useful to see if Light resembles Kira's MO. _

"Light." L set the mood with that one, staccato word.

After a pause, Light said, "What is it, Ryuzaki?"

L paused and took in a breath. What he was about to say couldn't possibly work against him. Worst case scenario, it didn't affect Light's actions at all; all considering that Light equals Kira. "I.... I won't tell you that I don't suspect you because you'd never believe that."

_Where is this guy going with this?_

"But I have to say, I really don't want you to be Kira. When I said I wanted you to be Kira it wasn't a vendetta against you personally. It was just the fact that I hate to be wrong. However," L removed his thumb from its cradle and stuck the index finger of that hand into the air, "I would rather be wrong here than have you be Kira. You're the only friend I've ever had. And if you turn out to be Kira," L paused for a second to eat a cheesecake bit and settle his thumb underneath his lip, "well, no, there's no reason to say that. Just know, Light... I care about you. And if you happened to be Kira, I'd still care about you. I would do what I would have to do, though." L looked Light directly in is eyes. "Do you understand?"

_What game is L playing? Why is he telling me this? Does he really trust me so much that he'd be my... friend?_

_No, you fool, he said himself he'd still care about you even if you are Kira. So why...? Ah! He's trying to get my guard down. Clever, but it won't work, L. It won't work. _

_But he'd know that! There must be another motive!_

"I understand, but why are you telling me this?"

"Truthfully, I was hoping that I might get your guard down. The fact that you are suspicious of me though, and not to mention that look on your face, proved it didn't work." _Doesn't really matter that he knows my intentions, he knows I suspect him. I've got to gain his trust without letting myself get too friendly with him. _

_And what if that thirteen day rule is false? Of course Light has the most to gain from the rule but so does Misa... if they're the first and second Kira. But that would be an easy way to frame Light. If that's the case, _L sipped his tea and wrapped his arms around his knees, _then who would be intelligent enough to frame Light and who would benefit from it? And if the rule is true.... we have almost no other suspects. _L leaned back and sighed. He grabbed a cheesecake square for each hand and ate them quickly. He drank the rest of his tea with a rather out-of-character gulp and turned toward Light. "Don't tell anyone this but..."

_This could be it! This could be the secret I can use to find out what I can do to do about this current situation. You're slipping, L. You're starting to trust me. Now, what is this important piece of information...?_

"I really, really.... need to get some sleep."

Light rolled his eyes and gave a low growl.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"...do you understand?"

Misa shifted on the bed, reached up, replaced a disgruntled blond hair strand and said in her piercingly high voice, "Yeah! L will probably figure out who's Kira and Second Kira because he'll figure out the 13 day rule is false! I don't know how but he's, like, really smart!" After those words exited Misa's mouth what she said sank into her brain. "Wait! Doesn't that mean Light and I will... be executed?!"

"Not if I can help it, Misa. There must be a way another way out of this!"

"Why not just kill L and make Light happy and guarantee our safety at the same time? Seems obvious to me!"

"Misa..." Rem sighed. She realized how easy such an act would be. Still, she had no desire otherwise to kill L and she had no desire to bow down to Light Yagami's will either. Maybe it was just pride that denied Light victory, but she _would_ find another way out of this.

Then she realized what she had to do. It was such a simple solution! Why hadn't she thought of it before?

W_hy doesn't Watari ever put enough sugar in the tea? _Wondered L as he put three more sugar cubes in his Earl Grey. He stirred the sugar in, sipped it and glanced at his watch. _It's 4:32 now, the others usually wake up around 7:00. Light might wake up sooner though. He's... agitated. _L had wondered about Light's strange expression right before he went to sleep. After L explained that he really _did _need sleep, Light's eyes had dimmed slightly and his eyebrows scrunched downward just a little. He had also discreetly rolled his eyes. L had also heard a soft sigh. Possible explanations? One, Light didn't want to have to go to sleep and wanted to keep looking for Kira. That was unlikely though, Light had looked extremely tired. Two, Light had thought that L was just joking and thought that the joke was a poor one. There was no evidence supporting solely that, but no evidence against it either. Three was the most disturbing; and the most compelling. L had particularly worded the prelude to his astonishing announcement to make it sound like he was about to reveal something revolutionary to the Kira case. If Light really was Kira, he would be disappointed that L hadn't said anything particularly helpful. _Fifty-fifty... I hate those odds. No, rather ten, forty-three, forty-six, one. Ten percent chance that he wanted to stay awake, forty-three percent chance that he was annoyed at my joke, and forty-seven percent chance that he is Kira, considering the other evidence supporting that he is in fact Kira. Then one percent chance that it's something I haven't thought of.... maybe more like seventy three tenths percent. _L's deductions were really quite amazing, considering he gathered all of this information from one single facial expression. L sat down at a computer and mumbled into a private intercom, "Watari, you awake?"

"Yes, L. I woke up a few minutes ago. Or should I call you Ryuzaki?"

"Ryuzaki, just to be safe. Although.... ah, never mind. Could you bring me some breakfast?"

"Of course, Ryuzaki."

L accessed his personal data banks where he kept some of his suspect's files. He accessed the encoded data bank that was specifically meant for Light. He looked over numerous files, which included records of Light's results to some of L's tests, some of Light's background files, some evidence that suggested that he was Kira and some evidence that seemed to suggest that Light wasn't Kira. There was more evidence that suggested he was Kira, but most of that evidence was psychological; Light's demeanors seemed to match up with the demeanors of Kira. There was no strong evidence saying that Light was actually Kira. On the other hand... _If you can only not write in the Death Note for thirteen days before you die, then both Misa and Light should be cleared. They could have had someone else working with them, though... but there's no evidence of that... If this rule turns out to be false, then Light would have the most to gain from forging. No other suspects have anything to gain from that, not to mention that there isn't a lot of evidence for any other suspects. If that rule is false, it would be safe to say he's Kira._

"Your breakfast, Ryuzaki." L turned in his chair and directed one of his rare smiles at Watari.

"Thank you, Watari." L took a longer than normal sip of his tea, then picked up one of the pastries; it was flaky and left crumbs all over L's clothes; his usual attire of wrinkled, plain white shirt and faded blue jeans.

Watari left, but left the cart of pastries with L. _Now..._

He shifted in his seat. He unfolded his legs and stood up, brushing the crumbs off his clothes. "Rem, welcome back." L started when he saw Light come from down the steel stairs of the headquarters.

Rem said nothing, just stared indifferently at L. L, deciding he should try to at least be cordial to the god of death, said, "Hello Rem. How are you?" It sounded ridiculous to ask a god of death how he or she was doing, but how were you supposed to greet a death god?

Rem still said nothing, just stared at L with something akin to sadness reflected in her eyes. _Hmm? _L wondered.

_What are you _doing _Rem? Kill him, kill him now! Surely you care for Misa enough to sacrifice L's life?!_

The Light realized that there was a flaw in his plan. He struggled to keep his rage under control. There was nothing he could do about the hole anyway.

While the hole that Light saw did work in his favor, it didn't get L killed. The path was risky, since Misa could still be caught writing in the death note, but at least they weren't guaranteed to be caught.

The rule was that if you don't use the death note in thirteen days after using it, you'd die. They were going to use a criminal to test this. However, Rem could just kill the criminal after the thirteen days were up. _Such an obvious flaw! I expected her to do anything to save Misa.... and killing L guarantees Misa's safety. Why would she play with Misa's life?! _

"When is the criminal scheduled to arrive?" asked Light.

"Why are you worried about it?" L inquired. He didn't ask the question for the question's sake, he asked to see if Light would be the least bit perturbed.

Light shrugged and laughed a little. _That laugh was obviously forced_, observed L. "Worried, Ryuzaki? I wouldn't describe it as worry."

"What would you describe it as?"

"Ahh... a feeling of ease, perhaps. Once the rule is proved true then my name will _finally_ be cleared. I know you still suspect me. Surely the proof of this rule will verify my innocence?"

"And if the rule is false?"

"If the rule is false? I don't see why it would be."

"You didn't answer my question. If it's false?"

_Curse you L. If I don't answer obviously, that he should conclude I'm Kira, he'll be even more suspicious of me. _"I would conclude that I am Kira. Although there is still some chance that..."

"Oh Liiiiiii-iiiiiiiight!"

"I think someone just called you," stated Ryuzaki emotionlessly.

"You think...?" muttered Light.


End file.
